>> reporter: help is now poring into new york and new jersey. marines have landed in staten island. 280 state troopers from eight states were sworn in to help in new jersey, including 50 from the mississippi highway patrol. more than a thousand utility crews from as far away as california and canada are being staged at city field, home to the new york mets. >> we're in hand-to-hand combat. we are just going block to block putting up facilities that have been damaged by those winds and/or the floods. >> reporter: john miksad is in charge of power restoration for new york's largest electric company. con ed has restored power to 800,000 customers but have 150,000 to go before a coastal storm sweeps in midweek. >> it may slow down the troops that are out there doing restoration. >> reporter: on new jersey's long beach island, homeowners were finally allowed to check the damage. >> the bottom fell out so we were just lucky that the house is still standing. we had seen pictures of the house so we knew it had been badly damaged but it's still seeing it